Just as the road has become a potent metaphor in cinema for journeys through life, the circus occupies a similar position in representing the security of togetherness. There are not so many examples of the circus movie but when the big top is pitched it is usually a protection from a hostile world outside for those within. In Kazan's "Man on a Tightrope" for instance there is the solidarity in fleeing from a repressive regime. The characters in possibly the greatest circus film of all, Bergman's "Sawdust and Tinsel", may not always act kindly towards one another, but they are often protected by the camaraderie of those they share the tent with. An interesting circus curio from Japan is "Circus Boys" which tells the story of two brothers brought up in the ring who reach a point in their early adulthood where their developmental paths diverge. The younger has retained the emotional protection that the circus provides and stays on to help rebuild it after an appalling accident with a geriatric elephant all but wrecks the show. The older brother, even before this event, has had to get away and in developing his skills as a dishonest showman, falls in with a group of gangsters. After several misadventures he rediscovers the bright lights of the circus tent which presumably beckon him back to stability. Although it all sounds a shade simplistic, this interesting little film is saved from being a little too pat by monochrome visuals that are beautifully composed from first shot to last. Possibly the most memorable character in the film is the elephant, a mass of animated rubber from which eyes stare grotesquely. The demise of this creature is both pathetic and noble.
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昭和中期、日本がまだ夢見ていた頃、街から街へと人々を楽しませて回る「三日月サーカス」という小さなサーカス団があった。そこには仁太と渡という空中ブランコに憧れる兄弟がいた。しかし、不慮の事故により足を傷めた仁太は、夢がかなわぬままサーカス団を去ってしまう。時は流れ昭和の好景気、世の中の繁栄とは逆にサーカス団はおちぶれてゆくが、渡と混血の美女マリアは負けじと新しい新しいサーカスショーに挑んでいった。その頃、仁太はテキヤ家業に励んでいた。ある日、親分の情婦おもちゃと出会い、たちまち恋に落ちた二人は掟を破った為、組織に追われてしまう。逃避行に疲れ、死を決意するがいつしか二人は「三日月サーカス」のテントに向かっていたのだった。
Циркачи / Circus Boys / Nijisseiki shonen dokuhon (1989) Япония DVD-Rip
Plot
